UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION BY THE INDEPENDENT OMBUDSMAN’S OFFICE
1
Introduction
The Kingdom of Bahrain has taken unprecedented strides within its Arab and regional
environment towards reinforcing democracy and human rights.
A series of reforms, launched by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, have become
a milestone among Bahrain's modern landmarks on the way to progress and prosperity.
The most prominent feature of the reforms was the deepening of the concept of the rule of
law and institutions. Within this context, the Ombudsman was established in the Kingdom
of Bahrain as an administratively and financially independent entity working within the
Ministry of Interior to ensure that its institutions and agencies are committed to the most
comprehensive constitutional and legal framework in the country.
The Ombudsman’s most important foundations include the National Action Charter,
adopted by 98.4% of the men and women of Bahrain, the Constitution of the Kingdom
promulgated 2002, and the relevant laws and other related laws.
In addition, there are the international conventions and treaties and regional ratified by the
Kingdom of Bahrain, such as the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of
human Rights, the Convention against Torture, and the Arab Charter on Human Rights.
The Ombudsman, as it exercises its terms of reference, follows professional standards
that represent essential references for all parties relevant to its work, including the
professional standards of policing set forth in the Code of Conduct for the police, as well
as administrative regulations that govern the performance of civil servants.
It operates within the general framework that includes respect for human rights, the
consolidation of justice, the rule of law and the confidence of the public, to implement
recommendations 1717 and 1722, paragraph (d), issued by the Bahrain Independent
Commission of Inquiry (BICI).
The Ombudsman exercises its powers and functions in full independence. Its basic
functions include visiting prisons, juvenile care centres and places of detention to verify the
legality of the procedures and whether prisoners or prisoners or detainees have been
subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.
Throughout its work, the Ombudsman follows the relevant standards in the national laws
and regulations. It is also guided by international conventions and standards and by the
experience of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons in the United Kingdom in inspecting
prisons and places of detention, and what was approved at a meeting of the World Health
Organization in The Hague on 18 - 21 November 1998, about promoting the concept of
mental health in prisons, within the larger concept of “Healthy Prisons.”
Accordingly, the Ombudsman issued the standards for assessing the treatment of and
conditions for prisoners or detainees in places of detention have been issued in their first
version to be used as a methodology for the inspection and surveillance of those
premises, thus ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the laws and conventions
mentioned above.
